By Ruth Brown
Idaho Falls Post Register
POCATELLO, Ida. — A Tuesday apartment fire resulted in yet another call for help to the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho after residents of two apartments were displaced.
The Idaho Falls Fire Department at 6:15 p.m. responded to a fire at 1847 Vega Circle. Fire Division Chief Dorin Howard said two of the eight apartments in the building were destroyed and the others had minor smoke damage.
Damage to the building was estimated at $250,000, and the fire’s cause remains under investigation, Howard said.
Red Cross disaster volunteers arrived on the scene to assist two families - one comprised of parents with three children and the other with two adults - affected by the fire.
Red Cross caseworkers provided both families with money for food, clothing and shoes to meet their immediate needs, as well as shelter for three nights at a local motel, Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Fawcett said.
On average, the Red Cross of Greater Idaho responds to 200 house fires each year, helping about 500 individuals, Fawcett said. But due to smoldering temperatures, dry weather and a rash of recent fires, Fawcett anticipates the summer of 2012 will have an unusually high number of fires.
The Red Cross responded recently to the Charlotte Fire in Pocatello, setting up a shelter and assisting 40 of the 66 families who lost their homes. The agency also set up a shelter in Mountain Home for individuals who didn’t lose their homes but were unable to access them due to a fire, Fawcett said.
Red Cross volunteers from the Idaho Falls area also have helped people affected by fires in Colorado and Montana.
The Red Cross of Greater Idaho also has volunteers trained in mental health treatment for those who have been fire victims.
""When people have lost absolutely everything they own, it is quite devastating,"" Fawcett said. ""We have volunteers on staff to help with that.""
Ruth Brown can be reached at 542-6750. Follow on Twitter: @ruthbrown1. Comment on this story on Post Talk at www.postregister .com/posttalk/.
How to donate
Call the Red Cross at (800) 853-2570 or visit www.redcross idaho.org.
Copyright 2012 The Post Register
All Rights Reserved